The Third Generation Part 7: Michael
by chadtayor020
Summary: It isn't an easy life being descended from Danny Phantom and Vlad Plasmius. But Michael has to try to live his life anyway, going through school, love, and evildoers along the way.
1. Chapter 1

**The Third Generation Part 7: Michael**

**Chapter 1**

To say that Michael was born to greatness would be pretty on target. After all, a boy named after the Archangel St. Michael himself has a lot of expectations riding on him. And of course seeing as he was born in one of the wealthiest families the world ever knew made sure of that too. But even if he hadn't had his name, or his family's wealth, he would still be destined for greatness due to his Grandfathers; Danny Phantom: Earth's Greatest Hero, and Vlad Plasmius: Earth's First Supervillain. Michael had all the power that implied and more.

Right now he was floating above the Food Court of the Buy More Supermall in Millertown, Wyoming. He was in his Ghost Form, meaning that right now he had green skin, red eyes, black hair and a black jumpsuit and cape with white belt, boots, and gloves. In the Food Court five masked men had taken forty people hostage and were demanding to speak with a Phantom. Unfortunately, his parents and twin brother Gabriel were busy on the other side of the City dealing with five giant moose ghosts. Michael was on his own for right now. Michael considered his options; he didn't know what these guys wanted. They could want money, to kill hostages just because, to kill him for being what he was, or for their fifteen minutes of fame; that was more common than anyone wanted to think.

Michael went intangible and floated down, making sure his cape billowed in the wind to look more intimidating. He stopped right above the circle of hostages and said in as intimidating a voice as a fifteen year old could make, "I'm here." The masked men all looked at him and Michael had a good look at their guns, they were old ecto-rifles. Michael's Dad had made newer ecto weaponry that only worked in the presence of a ghost; they wouldn't work against a human or halfa. That wasn't the case with these older models. _Stay calm Fenton, _Michael told himself as one of the men spoke, "We were wondering if you cared." "Of course I care. Look, we just want the hostages freed, that's it, no one has to get hurt," Michael said, hoping the guy wasn't out for blood. The apparent leader nodded to his comrades and said, "You five, you four, you, and…you ten, get out." The twenty people that had been pointed out all got up and left warily.

"Alright, you guys look pretty reasonable, so, what is it you want?" Michael said, spinning around slowly to look at all the hostage takers. All of them looked pretty fit based on their stances, and were definitely confident with their weapons and each other. _Professionals, ex military maybe, _Michael thought. He had experience around guys like them, his family had spent the past summer helping rebuild Amity Park with the rest of their extended family and help from the local ghost fighters, Foley's Fighters. "We want $800 million, in five yellow duffel bags delivered to us in an hour," the leader said.

"That's a lot of money, can we talk it down?" Michael said, trying to buy time to think of a plan that would put the remaining hostages in the least amount of danger.

The leader pointed his ecto-rifle at a woman's head and said, "Each hostage is worth $40 million." _Crap! _Michael thought as he looked at the leader's eyes. He meant business. "Okay, just let me go out and-" "Forget it Ghost Boy, we all know you freaks can make copies, send one out there," one of the other hostage takers said. _Double crap…wait that gives me an idea, _Michael thought as he took a breath. "All right, just watch where you're pointing those guns okay?" Four of the hostage takers pointed their ecto-rifles at him while the leader kept his trained on his hostage. A copy of Michael appeared beside him and flew out.

_Alright, let's hope those other copies I made stay invisible, _Michael thought as he mentally commanded them to get near the hostage takers. Michael raised his hands and said, "You guys don't strike me as the kind that do this all the time. So why start now?" "None of your business Richie Rich!" one of the hostage takers said. "We can't all be born rich," another said. "Yeah, why shouldn't we get a cut of the pie?" the first speaker said. "Cool it," the leader said, and they all stopped talking. _Okay, copies are in position. _"Sorry about this guys, but no one is getting rich today," as soon as he said that, Michael's five copies simultaneously froze the hostage takers ecto-rifles with freeze rays and at the same time knocked them out with ghost stinger attacks.

Michael's copies became visible and he told the hostages, "Alright, you're all free to go." Michael led the hostages out of the store while his copies restrained the hostage takers to cheers from police and random passerby who heard about the commotion. After giving a small wave to the crowd, Michael headed home.

**Author's Note: For this story, and maybe the next one, I plan on trying to portray the religious implications of the world of Danny Phantom. Lets face it, in the real world, if ghosts could unequivocally be proven to exist it would send shockwaves throughout the world's religions and our understanding of life after death. I want to try to show that, and show religious superheroes as well with this story and the next. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The next morning Michael woke up in his room. His room was your typical room, bed on the corner, desk for homework on the opposite wall, bookshelf stacked with writings of various historical and religious natures, dresser, closet, and bathroom connected. Michael got out of bed and stretched for 15 minutes before doing 50 leg lifts, then knuckle pushups, jumping jacks, crunches, and squat thrusts, finished with five minutes of jump rope and 15 more minutes of stretching. He had his shower and brushed his teeth, then got dressed in jeans and a black shirt and shoes, and his St. Peter Cross necklace. As he walked out he bumped into his twin brother Gabriel.

Michael and Gabriel both inherited blonde hair from their Dad, Jerry Fenton, aka Jerry Phantom, and grey eyes from their Mom, Marie Fenton; formerly Marie Ferrier, aka Scary Mary. Michael and Gabriel were very different aside from the general twin stuff; Gabriel was the athletic one, their school's soccer captain and all around extrovert where Michael was the more introverted thinker, and it showed in his less defined muscle tone. Gabriel was dressed in jeans and white shirt and shoes and a regular cross necklace, people always commented on them wearing the opposite of each other.

"You got that report done for Mrs. Groo?" Michael said as the two brothers made their way down to the kitchen. Their Mom was making her morning tea, Michael and Gabriel's little sister Anna was listening to music on her phone at the table, and Dad was making some tofu bacon. Marie and Jerry were showing the stress of balancing their work running Fenton Works green vehicle division, ghost defense, research into ghosts, taking care of their family, and fighting ghosts alongside their sons. Jerry's hair was a tangled mess at all times now that would make Albert Einstein jealous, Marie had noticeable grey hairs, and both had very noticeable bags under their eyes. They'd had trouble with a project to replicate their halfa powers with cheap yet effective mechanical suits.

Jerry passed around the tofu bacon while Marie fixed some waffles in the toaster and sat down. Gabriel said, "You look happier than usual Dad." Michael took a look and it was true, their Dad looked like something the cat dragged in, but he also looked pleased with himself. "I finally managed to figure out the problem with the cooling matrix that kept the phasing vibration frequency from working at peak capacity. We're going to run tests today," Jerry told them. "So if this works, it means we can take more vacations, right?" Anna asked. "That and it means that the missionaries in the Ghost Zone can spread the Word much more safely," their Mom told her. The Roman Catholic Church had been having problems with trying to convert ghosts due to the dangers of the Ghost Zone, and the fact that normal humans couldn't spend more than a week in it before their bodies started to fail, and that process sped up if they ate any ghostly food.

They said grace and had breakfast then their parents dropped Michael, Gabriel, and Anna off at their schools, Christopher Miller High for Michael and Gabriel, Martins Middle School for Anna. Michael and Gabriel had all the same classes and sat next to each other during all classes. First class was Trigonometry: Mr. Fayed was the kind of teacher that would have loved the Inquisition he was so strict, and he was doubly strict with the twin brothers. After a miserable surprise quiz Mr. Fayed assigned homework and the class mercifully ended.

On the way to their second class Michael spotted his friend Cole Stephens. Cole was a skinny nerd of Arapaho descent on his mother's side whose knowledge of all things related to Fantasy, Sci-Fi, mythology and religion rivaled Michael's own. He usually wore red shirts and black pants and shoes. "Mikey, you finish that assignment from Mrs. Grant?" Cole asked. "Yeah, though rendering the mountains was a real pain," Michael told him, taking out his flash drive and attaching it to his phone. A beautiful Carpathian Mountain landscape showed up on screen, "What about you?" Cole put his own flash dive in his phone and showed an incredibly realistic rendering of the Himalayas. "The hard part was the snow," Cole said as he and the twins went into their Geography class.

After Geography the three boys headed to the Cafeteria for Lunch where Gabriel left to see his own friends while Michael and Cole looked around for their friends Alice Martinez and Lisa Clifford. Cole spotted Lisa waving for them. Lisa was a white girl of about average height with chocolate brunette hair and blue eyes, and a face full of freckles; she was wearing a black jumpsuit with white belt, boots, and gloves today, she had jumpsuits of all colors. Alice was, in Michael's opinion, a flawless athletic girl of Spanish descent whose brown eyes had small flecks of amber in them; she blue shirts usually with denim shorts that matched her wheelchair, the fact that her legs ended right above where most people's knees were was a minor detail for him.

"Hey," Michael and Cole greeted the girls. "Hey yourself," "Hi," Alice and Lisa greeted respectively. "So, you got any homework?" Alice asked. "Mr. Fayed assigned us to do 30 problems from Chapter 7," Michael said. "I'm free so far," Cole told her. "Same here," said Alice, "Ditto," said Lisa. "That could soon change, we may need to rethink our after-school plans," Michael told them. The four of them usually went to a Jazz café, the Calloway Cabana, after school to hang out, Michael's parents only let him go after he was done with homework. The four of them finished eating and went to their third class together with Gabriel, English Literature.

Mrs. Groo had assigned them to all do a report on one of the playwrights of the 20th century. Michael had chosen to report William Luce, who was famous for his one person plays. Gabriel had chosen Robert Edwin Lee, whose most famous play was collaboration with Jerome Lawrence called _Inherit the Wind_, about the famous Scopes Monkey Trial. After collecting everyone's papers Mrs. Groo had them all step up and read an excerpt from their chosen subject's work. After that they started reading passages from _Beowulf_ for the rest of the period, they luckily got no homework from her.

After English Literature Lisa and Cole had to leave for their fourth class, Computer Science, while Michael, Gabriel, and Alice headed for their shared class, U.S. History. Their teacher for that class was Mr. Addams. He was a very unassuming man that belied a pretty exciting past as a former Foley's Fighter, and one of the few survivors of the Dark Danny Invasion in 2014. His throat had been damaged during the battle and he needed a cybernetic voice box to talk. Unfortunately, the voice box's voice was your stereotypically monotonous drone that made one strain to stay awake during the lesson. Gabriel just plain nodded off as soon as Mr. Addams started while Michael strained to stay up and take notes for his less studious brother. Michael still managed to sneak small peaks at Alice during class, noting how she sat up straight and gave him a nice look at her profile. Alice turned to him and Michael started paying more attention to Mr. Addams' lecture on the War of 1812.

After U.S. History Michael, Gabriel, and Alice separated, Alice to Jujitsu Club, Gabriel to the Gym for Soccer practice, and Michael to Debate Club, where Lisa and Cole were. The week's subjects had been debating various systems of Government and try to determine the best. The Debate Club had divided into three separate teams to try to defend their assigned system. Michael, Lisa, and Cole along with their teammates Bryson, Kloe, and Yvanne had had to try to defend Aristocracy. In the end, they were able to provide a better argument for Aristocracy against Fascism, but in the end it was the Communist team that won. Just as the debate closed Michael's Ghost Sense went off and a four foot long purple bee flew in from the ceiling.

"EVERYBODY DOWN!" Michael yelled as he went Ghost. Black rings flew up and down his body, turning his blonde hair black and grey eyes red as his skin turned green and his clothes were replaced with a black jumpsuit with white belt, boots, gloves, and black cape. The bee blasted purple ghost rays from its eyes which Michael blocked with an ecto-shield before he blasted a large ghost ray back at it. The bee absorbed the ghost ray and grew even bigger, up to six feet long at least. _Oh crap! _Michael thought as the bee charged at him stinger first. Michael grabbed the massive stinger and kept it an inch away from his stomach as he and the bee crashed through the wall behind him and into the hallway.

Michael spun and threw the bee into the lockers and blasted an ice ray at the bee. It absorbed that too! The now eight foot long bee's buzzing sounded like laughter as it hit Michael back with a ghost ray, slamming him into a wall. Michael recovered quickly and dodged the bee's stinger charge yet again then saw that the stinger was stuck in the wall. Michael quickly kicked the bee as hard as he could; breaking the stinger off. "How'd you like that!?" Michael yelled in triumph. The bee shut him up with a ghost ray he barely dodged then its stinger grew back. _Think fast Fenton, it absorbs ghost and ice rays and gets bigger, re-grows its stinger, and looks pretty tough besides that. Two options, electric attacks or physical attacks._

Michael ducked under yet another stinger attack and then flew after the bee. Before it could turn around Michael punched its eyes as hard as he could then kicked its thorax hard enough to send it through the hallway. Michael focused his ectoplasmic energy into his fast-twitch muscles like his cousin Eve had shown him and practically teleported ahead of the bee to kick it to the floor. The bee shrank down to only two feet long and Michael got out his Thermos and sucked it in, just as the bell for dismissal rang. _Yet another day for your average halfa, _Michael thought as he turned back to his Human Form and went back to the Debate Room to grab his backpack.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Homework was pretty easy to deal with all things considered, only five of the problems really gave him any difficulty. Michael checked his homework over before he was satisfied and went to check Gabriel. "Hey, you need help?" he asked. Gabriel was on the fifteenth question. "Not really," Gabriel told him. Michael looked over his twin brother's shoulder and said, "You forgot to multiply by X." Gabriel tensed a little but followed Michael's advice. "Okay, now back off egghead, I can't think with you looking over my shoulder," Gabriel told him, and Michael left. He passed his sister who said, "Mike, can I go with you?" "Don't you have something else to do?" he asked.

"No, Ashley and Michelle are still busy with homework, Bobby's still grounded from that Silly String prank he pulled last week, and Matt's still has a cold," she told him. Michael scratched the back of his head at this, "Mom and Dad said I could go with you," Anna told him. _Nuts, _Michael thought. It wasn't that he hated his little sister or anything, but he wasn't sure what she'd do when they got to the Calloway Cabana. She had a lot of stories of his more embarrassing moments, like the time he almost blew up his own room when he was experimenting with his powers, or when he was twelve and lost control of his intangibility every time he saw a pretty girl.

"No stories," he told her. "Okay," Anna said, though he thought he saw something devious in her big purple eyes. Michael and Anna went Ghost, black rings flew up and down around them, turning Michael's hair black and eyes red as his skin turned green and his clothes were replaced with a black jumpsuit with white belt, boots, and gloves and black cape, while Anna's red hair black and her eyes green while her red dress, jean pants, and white shoes were replaced with a white shirt with black gloves, a grey belt, and black pants with white boots. They floated down to the living room where their Mom and Dad were laying on the couches relaxing after a long work day. "I'm taking Anna with me to the Calloway Cabana," Michael told them. "Okay, be back by six," their Mom told them, and the two of them flew off.

They soon arrived at a building that looked like an old red stage theater with 'Calloway Cabana' in large gold letters on it and posters of old Jazz musicians like Nat King Cole, Billie Holliday, and Cab Calloway himself. They went inside and spotted his friends at a table. On the large stage at the center of the café was a holographic projection of Louis Armstrong finishing _You_ _Rascal __You_. "Hey man, we got your malt while we waited for you," Cole said. "Thanks," Michael said and took a sip. "Can I get one?" Anna asked, looking around at the poster and Jazz memorabilia that adorned the walls. "Okay," Michael said and went to the counter and got a small chocolate malt shake for his sister. As soon as he got back to the table the holographic display had changed and was now showing Cab Calloway and his Orchestra started playing _Minnie the Moocher_.

**Minnie the Moocher copyright owned by the Cab Calloway Estate**

_Now folks here's a story 'bout Minnie the Moocherrrr,_

_She was a lowdown hoochie coocherrr._

_She was the roughest, TOUGHEST frail,_

_But Minnie had a heart as big as a whale._

"So, Anna, how's it been?" Alice asked. Anna took a sip of her malt shake and said, "Kind of boring ever since we left Amity Park." "Oh really," Cole said. "Uh, Anna, I don't think they need to hear about that," Michael said, but his friends overruled him.

_Hideee Hideee Hideee Hiii!_

_(Orchestra) Hidee Hideee Hideee Hiii!_

_ Hodee Hodee Hodee Hooo!_

_ (Hodee Hodee Hodee Hooo!)_

_Hee dee hee dee hee dee hee!_

_A hidee hidee hidee hoo!_

_(A hidee hidee hidee hoo!)_

"It was awesome, I finally got to fight ghosts and stuff, even saw Grandpa and Grandma team up against this one blob monster, they blasted it to goop in five seconds flat!" Anna said. "Sounds awesome, why have you never told us about it?" Lisa asked Michael. "Because Anna only got the easy stuff, she forgets that either Gabriel or I were there to watch her," Michael told them, "She was only allowed because it was that desperate."

_She messed around with a bloke named Smokeeeyyy!_

_She loved him, but he was cokeeeyyy!_

_He took her down to Chinatown!_

_He showed her how to kick the Gong around!_

_Hideee Hideee Hideee Hiii!_

_(Hideee Hideee Hideee Hiii!)_

_WWWHHHOOOAAAHHH!_

_(WWWHHHOOOAAAHHH!)_

_Hee dee hee dee hee dee hee!_

_(Hee dee hee dee hee dee hee!)_

_A hidee hidee hidee hooo!_

_(A hidee hidee hidee hooo!)_

Michael took a second before saying, "It was like a war zone, or the aftermath to those movies about giant robots. Buildings were in pieces, literally pieces of buildings on some of the roads still, all kinds of ghosts popping out of nowhere even more so than usual, and we were all the city had. The Foley's Fighters were devastated by the invasion and were needed to keep order with help from the Police and National Guard. I actually ran out of power while I was there, three times!"

Michael's friends stared at him wide eyed at that. Michael and Gabriel had the most ectoplasmic power of his entire family, not once had they ever run out before and turned Human in the middle of a fight. Michael then looked around and lifted his shirt to show a scar across his chest, "That happened the third time, I was in the middle of fighting a ghost that looked like a gladiator when he slashed me with his trident. I thought I was really dead then, until my cousin JJ showed up and pulled my butt out of the fire."

_She had a dream about the King of Sweden!_

_He gave her things that she was needin'!_

_He gave her a home built of Gold and Steel!_

_A Diamond car with Platinum wheels!_

Cole shook his head and said, "Michael, why didn't you tell us?" Michael took a minute to watch the hologram of Cab Calloway singing and dancing before saying, "I didn't want you guys to know. This was Phantom business; I wanted it to stay that way." "What's that supposed to mean?" Alice asked him. "Look, you guys know that my parent's are the only ones from their generation that have a job that's not about ghosts or fighting, exclusively. That's because Mom and Dad always thought of themselves as themselves first; and halfas second. Everyone else, they're ghost fighters or superheroes first and foremost, not individuals with lives that don't have to be about being superheroes. I didn't want to end up like Aunt Chloe, or Uncle Jack, or my cousins. I want to have my own…I don't know, Identity."

_Hideee Hideee Hideee Hideee Hidee Hideee Hiii!_

_(Hideee Hideee Hideee Hideee Hideee Hideee Hiii!)_

_Hodeee Hodeee Hodeee Hodeee Hodeee Hooo!_

_(Hodeee Hodeee Hodeee Hodeee Hodeee Hooo!)_

_Scurlivou Scurlivou Scurlivou Rlivourlivu!_

_(Scurlivou Scurlivou Scurlivou Rlivourlivu!)_

_Brrrigy Brrrigy Brrrigy AI!_

_(Brrrigy Brrrigy Brrrigy AI)_

"It's really that bad?" Alice asked. Anna then spoke up, "No one else can think of being anything other than a superhero, except JJ who wants to be like Aunt April and open a self defense school." The five of them didn't know what else to say, so they sat drinking their drinks and watching the hologram finish its song.

_He gave her his townhouse and racing horses!_

_Each meal she ate was a dozen courses!_

_She had a million dollars worth of nickels and dimes!_

_She sat around and counted them all a million times!_

_Hideee Hideee Hideee Hiii!_

_(Hideee Hideee Hideee Hiii!)_

_Hooh whoa oh oh whoa!_

_(Hooh whoa oh oh whoa!)_

_Hideee HIII de Hiiiii!_

_(Hideee HIII de Hiiiii!)_

_Poor Min, Poor Min, Pooooorrrrr Miiiiiinnnnn!_

**Would you believe me if I told you that 'Minnie the Moocher' is about a prostitute that met a guy that got her hooked on cocaine? Yeah, Jazz was the hardcore rap of the 30's.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Michael woke up the next morning and checked the calendar on his phone. _Friday, _he thought as he got put of bed and stared exercising. Like all good Catholics, his family didn't eat meat on Friday. Wasn't much of an issue really, his Dad was a lifelong vegetarian who could cook up some pretty awesome vegetarian dishes for days like this. After showering and getting dressed Michael went downstairs to see Gabriel and Anna were already ready and competing against each other in a word game on their phones. Just as Gabriel won the game their Dad said, "Breakfast is served." The family sat down and said grace then dug into some chia pudding and loaded blueberry muffins.

After breakfast Michael and his siblings were dropped off at school. Nothing worth mentioning happened in Mr. Fayed's class, except that he didn't give weekend homework like he usually did. "Think he's sick?" Michael asked Gabriel as they headed for their second class. "I think that he's cured whatever was making him such a hardass," Gabriel said. "Gabriel!" Michael said. "Oh come on, you know there's no better word to describe him," Gabriel said. Michael thought for a second and said, "Good point, but still, if Mom or Dad find out, you're in for an embarrassing penance." Geography wasn't much, just reading from their cyber textbooks on their phones and answering some questions at the end of the chapter. After Geography Michael, Gabriel, and Cole headed for the Cafeteria.

Michael got a text that said, "Come to the outside table," so he and Cole went out. Halfway to the table where Alice and Lisa sat a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes hit him upside the forehead with a hard-back Bible. "REPENT YE SPAWN OF SATAN!" she yelled out. Michael motioned for Cole to go on without him, looking at the heavens and thinking, _Couldn't this have waited at least until the weekend. _Michael took a deep breath and said, "You got me wrong, I'm a follower of Christ." "LIES! You wear the symbol of Satan, REPENT!" Michael took a deeper breath and said, "All right then, tell me where in the Bible it says to whack people over the head!"

The girl stopped for a second, that seemed to deflate her and Michael continued, "Nowhere, that's where! Look, this cross is a symbol of Apostle Peter, who was crucified upside down because he said, 'I am not worthy to die in the same manner as Christ', it's the symbol of the Pope, Peter's successor!" The girl then said, "Lies! The Catholic Church is the New Babylon!" Michael looked at her and snatched her Bible out of her hand and turned to the page he wanted, it was a King James Bible. "The Gospel According to Saint Matthew Chapter 16 verse 16 to verse 19 says, right here," Michael showed the page and chapter to the girl before saying, "And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in Heaven. And I also say unto thee, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven: and whosoever thou shalt bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven."

Michael gave the now silent girl back her Bible and said, "Think before you start hitting people." Then he headed to the table where his friends were. "Another knows nothing Fundie?" asked Lisa. "Yep," Michael said. "It wouldn't be such a big problem if you didn't wear that upside down cross necklace," she commented. Michael put his hand over his cross and said, "I can't, Grandma Ferrier gave it to me for my First Communion, same with Gabriel's. She said that she wanted us to always remember what Christ and the Saints did for us, getting rid of this would be like…spitting on the Pope!" "Glad I'm agnostic," Lisa said then went back to eating her lunch. "Why won't they give up?" Alice said between bites of her lunch.

"Because if they did they'd die of despair, they've been wrong for so long they don't know how to act normal. The world's still spinning, homosexual marriage hasn't ruined the United States, the Catholic Church hasn't conquered the world, and the United Nations isn't tracking everybody. They quit believing in reality since 2012," Cole said. His family was Episcopalian, a moderate denomination if ever there was one. Suddenly a loud explosion shook the ground. Michael went Ghost and flew up to see what it was. Gabriel also went Ghost, his blonde hair and grey eyes turned green while his white shirt, denim jeans, and shoes turned into a white jumpsuit and cape with black belt, boots, and gloves. "Gabe, look over there!" Michael said as he pointed at rising smoke in the Northwest.

"That's Dad's lab!" Gabriel yelled, and the brothers flew in that direction. They arrived to see the domed building surrounded with fire-trucks and their Mom and Dad in their Ghost Forms getting people out. Their Dad's blonde hair was black and his purple eyes green and covered by sky blue sunglasses while his clothes were a white jumpsuit with sky blue belt, boots, and gloves. Their Mom's red hair was green and her eyes red and her clothes were a black sleeveless shirt and white pants with black boots. "That's the last one," Marie announced. Jerry spotted his sons and said, "Boys, we need to stop this fire before it spreads!" The three of them went in, and Jerry immediately powered up; dark blue rings flew up and down his body, turning his skin so dark blue it was almost black, eyes sky blue and his hair white while his clothes turned into a black jumpsuit with white belt, boots, and gloves.

"I'll take the East side, you boys take the West," Jerry told them, his breath as visible as if it was winter in Alaska. "Got it," they said, and flew off. The flames burned in a myriad rainbow of colors, some fire not even burning while others were so hot that it required both Michael and Gabriel to freeze it. This took all of an hour before they were sure they got it all. They met their coughing Dad in the front and helped him out, where a Paramedic gave him an oxygen mask. Jerry turned human before taking it and breathing in as much as he could. "What happened?" Gabriel asked then Anna flew over. "What happened!?" she yelled when she saw the dome, the firefighters, and her Dad needing an oxygen mask.

Marie told them, "It started with a cyber attack on our files for the Halfa-Suit. Before we could isolate the virus it downloaded our files then started deleting the originals. We managed to save most of the files then things started exploding. We focused on getting everyone that we could out." Marie then turned to her employees. 12 were on their way to the ER while 88 others were being treated for scrapes and minor burns. "They won't getaway with this!" Gabriel said, pounding his right fist into his left palm. "That isn't for you to do," Marie told him. "But Mom!" Anna whined. "No," Jerry said, now feeling much better, "you kids aren't ready to face anyone this smart, or covert. Whoever did this won't be easy to find, leave them to us, and the police." With that said, the five of them all flew back home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

After Michael got up on Saturday and did his morning exercises he went downstairs and saw his Mom and Dad looking…forlorn. They both had their heads down and looked tired, absolutely wearied to their souls. Gabriel and Anna both came down too and saw them. Michael turned Anna away and Gabriel said, "Something really bad happened." "Who's gonna ask them?" Michael asked his twin. They then turned and saw Anna already walking up to them. "What's wrong?" she asked. Their Mom looked at her and said, "Some of our employees died last night." Their whole family was quiet for a while as Marie and Jerry made breakfast, only speaking to say grace.

Michael didn't know what to do or say, what COULD he say? After breakfast his parents went to their room to get dressed, and so did Michael. He put on a sleeveless white shirt and black exercise shorts and white sneakers. On Saturdays, for the last two months, Alice had been teaching him Jujitsu. It was the best times of his week when he and her could be alone and talk after training. Once he was out of his room he saw his parents dressed in black in the living room, waiting for him. Once all the kids were in the living room their Dad told them, "We're going to be gone for a while. We need to tell the families of our dead employees what happened." "Dad, you don't have to do that, you can get someone else," Gabriel said. "No, they died because they were involved with us, it's our responsibility. Take care of your sister while we're away," Marie told them, and then she and Jerry went Ghost, then they phased through the roof and flew off.

"What now?" Gabriel asked. "I don't wanna do anything really," Anna said, "I'll just stay here." "I didn't have any plans," Gabriel said then turned on the TV. "I'm going to Alice's, I'll be back after Lunch," Michael told them. "Don't do anything…untoward," Gabriel warned him with a smirk. Michael pretended to ignore him and went Ghost then flew to Alice's house. It wasn't hard to miss; her house was your average medium sized two story home, with ramps in the front and back porches. He walked up the front ramp and pressed on the door-communicator. "It's Michael, I'm here for my lessons," he said into the machine. After two minutes he got an answer, "Give me a second Mikey, I'm home alone today," Alice's voice told him.

Michael waited outside for five minutes, and his mind started wandering to where his parents were now. He was looking up at the sky when Alice opened the door. "It looks clear," she said as she rolled her wheelchair out. "Wha-oh- uhh…" Michael's sudden drop in brainpower was mostly caused by her outfit, a black sports bra and short shorts that gave a very good view of Alice's washboard abs and sinewy arms. _She doesn't usually dress like that…THINK OF DEAD KITTENS FENTON! DEAD AND ROTTING KITTENS!_

Having a Cold Core became very convenient for Michael as the two teens went into her house and up the ramps leading to her family's exercise room. It had originally been two bedrooms, but they had been converted into an exercise room by the previous owners. As soon as they were in Alice got off her wheelchair and half hopped to the middle of the room and said, "Start stretching." After twenty minutes of various stretches that made Michael wonder if his legs were starting to liquefy, Alice had him stop. "You already exercised at home, right?" she said. "Yeah," Michael said, noticing a slight sheen of sweat on her that didn't come from stretching.

"Good, come on," Alice said, and got into a fighting stance. Michael was cautious as he approached her, Alice may not have had all her legs, but she made up for it with her incredible upper body strength. He once saw her break a guy's jaw; he had been insulting her heritage and calling her a wetback. After the guy pushed her off her chair, Alice tackled him to the ground and incapacitated him. She wouldn't be THAT vicious with him, but she wasn't going to coddle him either.

Alice made the first move when Michael got too close. She latched onto his leg and used her head on his hip to force him down. Michael slapped the floor to keep the wind being knocked out of him, then bucked his hips once Alice got on top to pin him. She fell forward a little too much, giving Michael a close up view of her chest. _FOCUS! _Michael pulled her elbow to his chest then flipped her to the bottom while he was on top. Alice managed to get her arm out then grabbed his neck and got him in a Guillotine hold. She then focused all her strength and flipped him onto his back. Michael's head was turning red from the choke she kept on.

He managed to force his left arm between her arms and his neck, breaking the hold and allowing him to get back up. Alice quickly crawled over to him and forced him onto the floor again, this time putting him in an ankle lock. So it went for the next hour they grappled for ten minutes at a time taking two minute breaks between rounds. By the end Michael was exhausted and dripping sweat; and Alice was the same. They both lay on their backs when it was all over and Alice said, "You're *huff huff* improving." Michael took a minute to catch his breath and said, "Not that much." Alice laughed and said, "Better than nothing." After lying there for a few minutes Alice said, "Mikey…I need a favor." "What?" he asked. "Put me in my chair, I don't think I can crawl to it from here," Alice asked. Michael got up and walked over to her. He then picked her up by the armpits and carried her like a toddler to her chair and put her in it.

"Thanks," Alice said, and Michael turned away so she wouldn't see him blush, "Glad to help," he said. Michael went over to her parent's bathroom to clean up while Alice used her personal shower. He made sure to make it cold. _I'm turning into my parents… and Grandparents…AND GREAT GRANDPARENTS! What is with my family falling in love in High School/College!? _Michael finished washing and put his toiletries and gym clothes into his book bag. He walked out and headed to Alice's room. He unthinkingly opened the door and she said, "GET OUT!" Michael quickly retreated and went to her living room, trying not to think too much about what he had seen, and failing miserably. After ten minutes Alice came down to her living room wearing a long sleeved red shirt and denim shorts and said, "I won't tell if you won't." "Deal," Michael said.

"So, are we going to go out to get lunch, or are you gonna go home?" Alice asked. "I heard there's a new buffet restaurant only thirty minutes walk away," Michael said. "Oh yeah, The Globe; nice place. You paying?" Alice said. "Don't I always?" Michael said as Alice got her purse and keys. Michael opened the door for her and they headed for the buffet.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

They got to The Globe and seeing that it was a nice day they decided to eat at an outside table. Michael had a platter of green beans, a small baked potato and a few slices of veal while Alice went to a 'make your own taco' bar and loaded it with beef and spicy peppers. "Your butt is going to burn like crazy," Michael told her as they sat down. "I can deal with it," Alice told him. After their first plates were done, Alice then looked at him and said, "Michael, I've been meaning to ask, are you okay?" Michael took a sip of lemonade before saying, "Not really." "Is it that explosion at your Dad's lab yesterday? I heard online that five people died," Alice said.

"It's not just that. Mom and Dad had been spending the last two months since we got back from Amity Park trying to perfect a suit that would simulate ghost powers. They were on the verge of a breakthrough when the files were stolen before the explosions started. Mom and Dad went this morning to go tell their five workers families what happened personally," Michael shook his head, "You should have seen the look in Dad's eyes, like he was the one responsible for all of it happening. He's been pushing himself, but things have been going down with our family, and he's been really stressed." Michael finished his lemonade and their waiter refilled his glass before he continued.

"Everyone is more serious now. JJ, June, even Cooper were really cautious around Uncle Jack because of those burns he got from that evil halfa they beat, with help from Beth. Uncle Jack is still smiling, but you can tell how hard it is with a quarter of his face burned. What's worse is because it was ghost fire; even modern medicine can't hide the burns. I think Eve, Ivan, James, Greta, and Selma have it worse though. Amity Park will never be the same after that invasion, and even the Ghost Zone is feeling the shockwaves. Grandpa Danny destroyed Pariah Dark, and now the ghosts are scared out of their minds that we'll try to take over. More ghosts are showing up to kill us now, not just the wild animals, but actual thinking ghosts too. Grandpa actually had to come out of retirement to help deal with all the ghosts showing up. He managed to convince most of them that we weren't gonna try to take over the Ghost Zone, but there's still a loud minority that don't believe it. All that, combined with Ivan having killed a guy that was shooting up a restaurant with old power armor he found that Vlad Plasmius designed, and how he almost died stopping another robbery, and that he's now a True Halfa, he's really closed off now.

"Ivan used to be a lot more cheerful, if a little swaggering. He's lost both of those now, and he's…angry. And James watched a man die when he was clearing the roads to let rescue and relief workers into Amity Park, and he's a lot sadder than before. Greta and Selma," Michael shook his head, "they have to grow up too fast. And I think Grandpa and Grandma have it worst of all." Alice looked at him wide-eyed and said, "But I saw him on the News, he looks just as awesome as ever, all that old-school Defender of Truth, Justice, and Freedom stuff." Michael shook his head, "That's all an act. The fact is, Grandpa didn't want any of his kids, or grandkids to inherit his powers. I once overheard him, years ago, telling Uncle Roger that he felt like we've inherited a curse, that no good deed goes unpunished, and we're the ones being punished."

Michael took a breath and rubbed his neck, "I remember the day before Gabriel and I started ghost fighting. He came to us and stripped down to his underwear. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before, his body, Alice; his body is covered in old scars he got from decades of ghost fighting. I don't think one square inch of him aside from his face isn't scarred. I never saw him look so old and tired before. He then asked us, 'Are you really ready to endure all of this?' I'm ashamed to say that I actually needed an hour to think about it after I saw that, Gabriel decided in ten minutes that he was ready, no matter what would happen."

Alice looked at him for a minute before mumbling, "I'm gonna get another plate." Michael went to get his own second helping when his Ghost Sense went off and something slapped him in the left ear. "GAH!" he yelled, his brain filling with white noise. Michael quickly tapped into his power and formed a spherical ecto-shield around himself to keep his attacker at bay. He heard invisible fists pounding on the shield. Michael concentrated, ignoring his ringing ear as he went Ghost. He flew up and yelled, "Come and get me!" Michael then made four copies that flew all around. Amidst the confusion the real Michael turned invisible and waited. _This ghost is smart, and knows how to fight dirty, I gotta find them first and end this quick._

Michael watched one of his copies get grabbed and his other three copies went after it. In a mad tangle of limbs as the four copies swarmed the ghost, and then one of the copies used a ghost stinger. The ghost made itself visible; it looked like a grey Tarzan wannabe with a leopard's head. The ghost roared and bit the copy that shocked its throat, making it disappear. "I got you now," Michael said, turning visible and absorbing his copies. "We will never submit to halfas!" The ghost screamed as it charged at him. Michael barely dodged it's tackle and built up his electrical energy then shot a short burst of electricity at the ghost, stunning it long enough for him to get his Thermos and suck it in.

Alice came out and said, "Are you okay?" "I'm fine," Michael said, ignoring the adoring people around him as he went to get his food. After eating lunch Michael flew Alice home, then headed home, nothing else worth mentioning happened that day.


	7. Chapter 7

**The following contains a presentation of a Roman Catholic Mass. If you burst into flames during such things, you shouldn't read this. **

**Chapter 7**

Sunday morning for Michael meant a break from his morning exercises and sleeping in a little before going downstairs still in his pajamas to the sight of his parents making breakfast, chocolate chip pancakes and maple syrup sausages. Both of them looked better than they had on Saturday, part of it was that Jerry had decided to stop work on the new mechanical suits until the lab could be rebuilt. And from the lower amount of circles under their eyes they apparently had a good night's sleep. "Mom, Dad," Michael started. "Yes?" they asked. "Can I stay out after Mass?" Michael asked. "For?" Marie asked. When they came back to Millertown they came back with Michael's Grandma Regina, his Mom's Mom. They usually spent Sundays with her after Mass since then unless there was an emergency.

"I wanted some time to stay at church and think about…stuff," Michael said, praying they wouldn't press it. "Thinking about stuff," Jerry said with a knowing smirk, "Like a certain girl, perhaps?" Michael remained silent, unfortunately Gabriel chose that point to float down from his room and said, "You're seriously gonna go for Alice!? Sheesh! She'll never go for it!" "You don't know that!" Michael responded. Gabriel kept smirking as he turned Human and said, "She'll think you're doing some charity case, pity dating." "If anyone needs pity, it's me. Alice flipped me like a pancake yesterday when we were sparring!" Michael said. "AH! Now I know what it is! What she lacks in legs, she makes up for in…other areas," Gabriel laughed, holding his hands in front of his chest.

"That's enough you two, that's hardly a good attitude before Mass," Jerry warned his sons and they clammed up. After having breakfast everyone got ready to go to Mass. Jerry was wearing a Dark blue suit with white undershirt, light blue tie, and brown loafers while Marie wore a conservative green dress and matching shoes and wore her hair in the latest three braids style. Anna wore her hair in the same style and a light blue dress that was like her Mom's. Michael and Gabriel wore opposite suits, whereas Michael's was a black suit, shoes and tie with white undershirt Gabriel's was a white suit, shoes and tie with black undershirt.

They all took the car to their Church, Seven Joys of Our Lady and were greeted at the door by Mother Annabeth Mason. Mother Annabeth was an average height woman with strawberry blonde hair and brown eyes, built like a rugby player, with a voice like a Southern Evangelist. The Fenton's dipped their hands in the holy water and crossed themselves as soon as they entered and genuflected before the altar. They then found a spot in the pews next to Grandma Regina to sit. Mother Annabeth and her helpers walked up to the altar while the congregation stood and the choir started to sing. Mother Annabeth and Deacon Richard Friar bowed to the altar then their helpers took their spots while the Priestess and Deacon went behind the altar and kissed it.

The Congregation crossed themselves as Mother Annabeth greeted them, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit." "Amen," the congregation said. Mother Annabeth continued, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you." "And with your spirit," the congregation responded. Mother Annabeth continued, "Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries." Michael concentrated on his lustful thoughts toward Alice, and noticed that her family was one pew to the left and three rows in front. _Oh Lord, forgive my weaknesses in thought and soul. _Mother Annabeth then led the congregation in prayer, "I confess to Almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I failed to do," everyone then struck their chests three times as they said, "through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, and the Angels and the Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God." "May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life," Mother Annabeth said and the congregation responded, "Amen." Everyone then sang the Gloria:

_Glory to God in the highest,_

_And on Earth peace to the people of good will._

_We praise You,_

_we bless You,_

_we adore You,_

_we glorify You,_

_We give thanks for Your great glory,_

_Lord God, Heavenly King,_

_O God, Almighty Father._

_Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,_

_Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,_

_you take away the sins of the world,_

_receive our prayer;_

_You are seated at the right hand of the Father,_

_have mercy on us._

_For You alone are the Holy One,_

_You alone are the Lord,_

_You alone are the Most High,_

_Jesus Christ,_

_With the Holy Spirit,_

_in the Glory of God the Father._

_Amen._

Mother Annabeth announced, "Let us pray," and everyone silently prayed. _Oh Lord, help my family in the battles to come. Give us the strength to continue to protect the innocent. And, help me learn the truth about my feelings for Alice, _Michael prayed. "Grant this through Christ our Lord," Mother Annabeth said, "Amen", replied the congregation. The congregation sat down and Mother Annabeth went to the lectern and bowed to it before taking out her Bible and turning to the section she wanted for the First Reading. "Let us read from Exodus, chapter 16, verses 2-15," she announced then led everyone in the reading. "And the whole congregation of the people of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness and said to them, 'Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.'

"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Behold, I will rain bread from Heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.' So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, 'At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your murmurings against the Lord. For what are we that you murmur against us?' And Moses said, 'When the Lord gives you in the evening flesh to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your murmurings which you murmur against him-what are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord.'

"And Moses said to Aaron, 'Say to whole congregation of the people of Israel, 'Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your murmurings.'' And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. And the Lord said to Moses, 'I have heard the murmurings of the people of Israel; say to them, 'At twilight you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.''

"In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning dew lay round about the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as hoarfrost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, 'What is it?' For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, 'It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.'" Mother Annabeth took a breath and then led them in the Responsorial Psalm: "O give thanks to the Lord, call on His name, make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to Him, tell of all His wonderful works! Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his presence continually! Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles and judgments he uttered, O offspring of Abraham his servant, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!

"Then he led forth Israel with silver and gold, and there was none among the tribes who stumbled. Egypt was glad when they departed, for dread of them had fallen upon it. He spread the cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night. They asked, and he brought quails, and gave them bread from heaven in abundance. He opened the rock, and water gushed forth; it flowed through the desert like a river. For He remembered His holy promise, and Abraham his servant. So he led forth his people with joy, his chosen ones with singing. And he gave them the lands of the nations; and they took possession of the fruits of the peoples' toil, to the end that they should keep His statutes, and observe His laws. Praise the Lord!"

Mother Annabeth stepped down and Deacon Richard stepped up to the lectern for the Second Reading, "Let us read from Jonah, chapter 3 verses 10 to chapter 4 verse 11." Deacon Richard took a breath and read, "When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them; and he did not do it. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the Lord and said, 'I pray thee, Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and repentest of evil. Therefore now, O Lord, take my life from thee, I beseech thee, for it is better for me to die than to live.' And the Lord said, 'Do you do well to be angry?' Then Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city.

"And the Lord God appointed a plant, and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm which attacked the plant, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God appointed a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down upon the head of Jonah so that he was faint; and he asked that he might die, and said, 'It is better for me to die than to live.' But God said to Jonah, 'Do you do well to be angry for the plant?' And he said, 'I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.' And the Lord said, 'You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night, and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nin'eveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?'"

Deacon Richard concluded his reading with, "The Word of the Lord." And the congregation said, "Praise be to God." They all stood and chanted:

_Alleluja_

_Vidimus_

_Stellam eeejus_

_In Oneeeennn te_

_Et veniiimus_

_Cum muneee ribus_

_Adorare Do Minuuummm_

While this was going on, Mother Annabeth went back up to the lectern and said, "The Lord be with you." The congregation said, "And with your spirit." Mother Annabeth then said, "A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew." Everyone traced a cross on their foreheads, lips, and heart and quietly prayed, _May the Gospel be on my mind, on my lips, and in my heart, _while saying, "Glory to you Lord."

Mother Annabeth then took a breath and began reading, "Matthew chapter 20 verses 1-16 tells us, 'For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place; and to them he said, 'You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing; and he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.' And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last up to the first.'

"'And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the householder, saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belong to, you and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?' So the last will be first, and the first last."

Mother Annabeth then said, "The gospel of the Lord," and the congregation replied, "Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ." Mother Annabeth kissed the Gospel and said, "Through the words of the Gospel may our sins be wiped away." And everyone sat down while she gave the Homily. "It is amazing, isn't it? How great the Lord is when he fully demonstrates his love for His people. He is with us through our trials in this world, and gives us our due at our earthly death. I look around, and I see many of you here, my brothers and sisters, who have walked in His ways years, even decades longer than I have. As I read the Gospel today, I was reminded of the days long ago before I found Our Lord Jesus Christ. I had been raised to believe in the Spirits of the Earth, that through meditation and ceremonies around the bonfire I could tap into Mother Earth's power and hear her voice."

Mother Annabeth shook her head at this and continued, "How wrong was I. I did all these things, yet not once did I feel a power or energy. It all felt empty to me. I was thirty years old when I finally realized that I had been wasting my life, and I felt trapped by then; my boyfriend had abandoned me saying that I was nothing, and I lost our child before he was even born, and I didn't even have a job. I begged, right here, some of you may recall, back when Father Thomas was still with us. Thomas looked at me, a lost soul, and he did not judge me, even when I told him of my past life. He showed me nothing but the Love of God, and thanks to him, I dedicated my own life in His service as well. Despite the challenges of my life, God was always there with me to give me His grace when I called upon Him.

"So it is now, with some of you. Your life has reached a difficult time, it seems like you cannot go through this obstacle that you are facing, but I promise you, your brothers and sisters, and the Lord will never abandon you, all you need to do is ask." Mother Annabeth then led the congregation in reciting the Apostles' Creed:

"I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

Creator of Heaven and Earth,

and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and buried;

he descended into Hell;

on the third day he rose again from the dead;

he ascended into Heaven,

and is seared at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy Catholic Church,

the communion of the saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and life everlasting.

Amen."

After reciting the Apostles' Creed, the congregation sat as Deacon Richard stood up and bowed his head. All around the church were the silent whispers as everyone said their prayers. Michael whispered, "Lord, I have tried to faithfully serve you all my life, and now I ask that you help me. I cannot distinguish my feelings for Alice, whether they are love, or lust. Help me now to know the difference, so I can know how to move forward with my life. Amen." Deacon Richard said, "We pray to the Lord," and the congregation replied, "Lord hear our prayer." After their prayers, the congregation sat down and Mother Annabeth, Deacon Richard, and their helpers prepared the Eucharist.

The altar was prepared, and the bread and wine brought out. Mother Annabeth picked up the bread and prayed, "Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you: fruit of the Earth and work of human hands, it will become for us the Bread of Life." The congregation responded, "Blessed be God for ever." She then poured the wine into a chalice and some water into it as well and prayed, "With humble spirit and contrite heart may we be accepted by you, O Lord, and may our sacrifice in your sight this day be pleasing to you, Lord God." Deacon Richard poured some of the water for Mother Annabeth as she prayed, "Wash me, O Lord, from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin." The congregation stood up and Mother Annabeth said, "Pray, brothers and sister, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God the Almighty Father," and the congregation said, "May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of his holy Church." Mother Annabeth prayed again, saying, "Lord, bless us this day, and all those who do your good works, we ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen."

Mother Annabeth said, "The Lord be with you," and the congregation responded, "And with your spirit." She said, "Lift up your hearts," and they said, "We lift them up to the Lord." "Let us give thanks to the Lord our God," and the congregation said, "It is right and just." "Mother Annabeth then prayed, "Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks, for the healers who heal us, those who protect us, those who give of themselves for others, and those that serve your Church." The congregation then said, "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts, Heaven and Earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest." Then the congregation kneeled in adoration of the Transubstantiation of the bread and wine into Christ's Body and Blood.

Mother Annabeth said, "Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my body, which will be given up for you." Michael and everyone else prayed, "My Lord, and my God." Mother Annabeth then held up the chalice and said, "Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me." Michael quietly prayed, "Be mindful, O Lord, of your creature whom you have redeemed by your most precious Blood." Mother Annabeth said, "The mystery of faith," and the congregation responded, "We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again." Mother Annabeth raised the bleat holding the Body, and the chalice holding the Blood and said, "Through Him, and with Him, and in Him, O God, Almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, forever and ever." They all said, "Amen."

Mother Annabeth announced, "At the Savior's command and formed by divine teaching, we dare say:" everyone said, "Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy Name; thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, and Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." Mother Annabeth then went on, "Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ." And the congregation continued, "For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever." Mother Annabeth said, "Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles, Peace I leave you, my peace I give you, look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will. Who live and reign for ever and ever." Congregation said, "Amen," Mother Annabeth said, "The peace of the Lord be with you always," and the congregation said, "And with your spirit."

Mother Annabeth then took the Body and the congregation said, "Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: grant us peace." Mother Annabeth then took a small part of the Body and put it into the Blood, saying, "May this mingling of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ bring eternal life to us who receive it." Mother Annabeth quietly prayed, "May the receiving of your Body and Blood, Lord Jesus Christ, not bring me to judgment and condemnation, but through your loving mercy be for me protection in mind and body, and a healing remedy."

She then raised the broken pieces of the Body and said, "Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called upon to the supper of the Lamb," and the congregation said, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." Mother Annabeth said, "May the Body of Christ keep me safe for eternal life," and she ate of the Body. She then raised the chalice and said, "May the Blood of Christ keep me safe for eternal life," and drank. Michael and his family stood while they waited their turn for communion. When it was finally Michael's turn, he realized that Alice was right behind him. He stayed focused on what was up ahead as he looked into Deacon Richard's eyes. Deacon Richard said, "The Body of Christ," and Michael responded, "Amen," as it was placed in his mouth. He then went to Mother Annabeth who was holding the chalice as she said, "The Blood of Christ," and Michael responded, "Amen," and he opened his mouth so some of the Blood was poured in.

Michael swallowed and went back to his seat and stood with his family as everyone else received communion. After everyone was back on their seats, a moment of silence was observed and Michael quietly prayed; _What has passed my lips as food, O Lord, may I possess the purity of heart, that what has been given to me in time may be our healing for eternity. Amen. _Mother Annabeth said, "Let us pray," and the congregation rose as she prayed, "O Lord, you have shown us your great mercy since time immemorial, and I pray that you continue to show it to us now. Strengthen our hearts, and our minds, and our bodies through the coming trials ahead. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen." She then said, "The Lord be with you," and the congregation replied, "And with your spirit." They then crossed themselves as she said, "May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen." Deacon Richard then said, "Go in peace." And the congregation replied, "Thanks be to God." Mass was concluded.

Gabriel and Anna went with Jerry and Marie as they lit candles and prayed for the families of the employees they lost on Friday. Grandma Regina said a prayer then turned to Michael, "Your Mother says that you have things on your mind." Michael looked at his maternal grandmother. Her once red hair was now all grey, and she had to wear thick glasses to see now, but her grey eyes were still full of a determined spirit only a lifelong Catholic could muster. "Yes, I just want to spend some time to think about it," Michael said as the congregation left. Grandma Regina nodded her head and said, "You have a good heart, Michael. Your parents chose your name well, and God will always set you right." "I'll call when I'm done," Michael promised, and Grandma Regina gave him a hug and kiss on his cheek as she left with the rest of their family.

Michael saw that there were only nine other people left in the church, and he looked around. Seven Joys of Our Lady was not an old church, only about 60 years old, and the architecture showed. If you looked close enough you saw the decorations of the church were molded, not sculpted by hand, and the stained glass was quite bright, unlike the older churches in Europe. Yet, Michael liked it here, when it was quiet, he could think, and meditate clearly on matters. He looked up at a statue of the church's namesake, the Seven Joys of the Virgin Mary. This statue was carved brilliantly, showing the Holy Virgin in her majesty, smiling down on the congregation like a mother watching her children.

Michael kissed his St. Peter's Cross necklace and crossed himself before praying, "O Lord, I come to you now, humbly, to ask for your help. I am not perfect, though I try to hold on to your teachings, and strive to live by the examples of the saints who came before me. Now, I want to know, are my feeling for Alice just teenage hormones, or do I genuinely love her?" As he said this, he thought about all her qualities. Alice was a fighter, and would not let others help her if she could do something herself. They had first met in Fifth Grade, Cole and Lisa was already his best friends. At first Alice wasn't sure whether or not they wanted to befriend her out of genuine friendship, or out of pity, but eventually they convinced her it was the former.

Alice was a tough fighter, and blunt as a sledgehammer when she wanted to be. But she was never mean about it, and knew when to clam up when it was right. It was Alice who had convinced him to join his family and fight ghosts, and encouraged him in the last year when he thought he couldn't go on. Michael thought about this when he heard a loud thump. He looked up and saw that an old man, at least in his eighties, had dropped his Bible. They were the only ones in the Church. Michael got up and picked up the Bible and noticed it had opened to the book of Ecclesiastes. As he picked it up, Michael noticed it was on chapter 4 verse 9-11: Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up. Again, if two lie together, they are warm; but how can one be warm alone? Michael handed the old man back his Bible then looked up and said, "Thank you," before he left.

**Let me say this now, I am not Catholic. I like to consider myself a Christian, I have read the Bible, but I am more liberal than others in my interpretation. That being said, I'm not trying to convert anyone, I just wanted to show a Catholic Mass. I will NEVER do that again, now I know why no one else does it. Anyway, I won't get this religious in the rest of the story; I only did it to show that my characters were religious to distinguish them from my other OC's. Currently, the Roman Catholic Church does not have women serving as priests; however it has been seriously discussed. This takes place in the future, 2052 to be exact, when they finally decided to let them serve, in this story's universe, in 2035.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Michael met his family at the entrance to The Johnson County War Museum, all about the range wars between smaller ranchers vs. larger established ranchers, way back in 1892. It was exciting, and disheartening at once to read the accounts of how the larger, wealthier ranchers used their wealth to oppress the smaller ones, mainly poor settlers, and in the end got away with it, more or less. At the end of the tour were various memorabilia and pop culture references to the Johnson County War, all of them westerns ranging in position from praising the larger ranchers as defending what was rightfully theirs, to praising the settlers as the underdog, to the most recent one made in 2042 called _End of the Rope_ that treated it all like a mess that should have been avoided. As he and his family left the museum they felt a lot more…melancholy.

"That was not a good idea," Marie told her husband. "Yeah, I'll admit I've had much better ideas," Jerry said, scratching his head in embarrassment. "Sooo…anyone feel like going to Le Garde-Manger Rouge for lunch?" Jerry asked. Le Garde-Manger Rouge was one of the best fine dining experiences in the United States, even pretentious food critics from Europe admitted it was fine fare. Of course, a cheap meal was a minimum of three figures, and feeding the six of them would cost a few thousand. Good thing their family was filthy stinking rich. "That feels too…pretentious for a family lunch," Marie pointed out. Everyone agreed with her.

"Okay, how about we get in our street clothes and head to Bart's BBQ?" he then suggested. "YES!" Gabriel practically yelled. Everyone looked at him and Grandma Regina said, "Alright, I know that that means something…what mischief do you have planned?" 'Mischief? Who me?" Gabriel said with a smirk that said in big bright letters, 'I'm just your average red blooded boy trying to have fun.' Grandma Regina just shook her head as she went into her car, "Call me if you get there first," she told them. "We will Mom," Marie assured her as Michael's family got into their car. Once they got home everyone headed for their rooms and got dressed in their street clothes then went back in their car to head for Bart's BBQ. Halfway there Jerry got a text from Grandma Regina saying she was there and had ordered a table for them.

Once they were there Michael saw why Gabriel was so happy. The cars of his friend's families were in the driveway. "I expect you to eat before you start texting your friends," Jerry told the smiling Gabriel, whose fingers were a blur as he texted away. "Got it," Gabriel said as he finished his text. They went into the restaurant and were directed to the table where Grandma Regina sat, having already ordered their drinks. Bart's BBQ was mostly your typical sports bar and grill; some tables, a bar, sports memorabilia and flat-screen TV's showing the games on the walls. Miraculously, the menu had vegetarian meals, and everyone happily got their food. Gabriel practically sucked it in like a vacuum while everyone else took the time to savor it. Michael especially enjoyed his pulled pork sandwich, it was almost literally melting in his mouth it was so tender.

When he was done eating Michael got his phone out and texted Lisa. 'I need your advice,' he texted. 'What about?' Lisa responded. 'I think I'm in love with Alice, I want to know how to tell her,' he answered. Lisa was unresponsive before she texted back, 'go into her room, strip down, lay on her bed, and say, Hey Beautiful.' Michael almost choked on his drink when he read that. 'I'M SERIOUS!' Michael texted her. "Who are you texting?" Anna asked then saw the text. "Oooohhh," she said. "Anna, quit reading my messages," Michael complained, and his parents looked at him. "It's nothing, Lisa's just joking around," he told them. "Uh-huh," Jerry said then the adults went back to their conversation. Michael overheard them talking about the investigation into the attack on his Dad's lab. 'No leads so far' was what it all amounted to.

Michael's thoughts returned to Lisa when she texted him back, 'Ok Romeo, I'm telling you a secret, if Alice finds out I told you, I'll e-mail stuff to your phone your parents will not like.' Michael gulped, Lisa didn't threaten people often, but when she did, she lived up to her threats. 'Got it,' Michael texted. 'Okay, Alice likes you, she really does. I don't think she's ever really liked other guys the way she likes you, she just never made a move because of her legs, she never thought you'd go for her,' Lisa texted. 'That's ridiculous,' Michael responded. Lisa sent a picture of a facepalm then texted, 'Look, Mikey, you're my friend and I love you, but you are SERIOUSLY blind sometimes. Face it, your family aren't normal people, they're superheroes, demigods among men, the New Olympus, the Justice League, and the Avengers all in one in most people's minds. We know what you're like, but everyone else sees you as so much more. I've been through dozens of sights that say regular people should worship you guys, and then there are your fans, your haters, and all this stuff. Alice isn't blind to that. And, I think she's afraid of her kids being like her.'

Just then all the TV's shut off and a symbol of a hand holding a ghost in a white sheet appeared. "What the heck is that?" Michael said. "I think I know what happened to the Halfa Suit," Jerry grimly said. The symbol faded to show a large group of people wearing black outfits and blue hoods with the same symbol on their chests. "People of America, we are the Purifiers. Our mission: to eradicate all ghostly corruption within the world. We will no longer allow humans to live in fear of these monsters. We will destroy any and all ghosts we encounter, we will not let them live to fight another day. We do not believe the lies of the so-called half-ghosts, all ghosts are evil; the only good one is one that has been eradicated. That includes the so-called half-ghosts. As for them, they will be dealt with, in time." The TV's shut off then turned back to their regular programs. Everyone in the restaurant stared at Michael's family, and they hastily paid for their food and left.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Michael woke up exhausted on Monday. All day yesterday his family was hounded by reporters trying to get a story, a sound bite, or a picture of his family due to the message from those so called 'Purifiers'. His friends had all called him to make sure he was okay. Michael had wanted to tell Alice then, but decided it wasn't a good time right then. _Well…now or never I guess, _Michael thought as he got up and exercised. After showering and dressing he went downstairs to see his parents were up, and looking stressed out. "Go get your brother and sister," Marie ordered him. Michael went back up to Gabriel's room first and knocked, "Gabe, get up, Mom and Dad have to talk to us, it's serious." No response.

Michael went Ghost and phased into his brother's room to see he was still asleep. Michael focused his electrical power and gave him a small static shock. "YOW!" Gabriel yelled as he got up, "What the Hell?!" "It's Mom and Dad, they want all three of us up, now," Michael told him, went to his sister's room. Her Ghost Sense went off and she woke up immediately. "Calm down, it's me," Michael told her, "Mom and Dad want to talk to us downstairs, it's serious." Anna got up and went out with her older brother as he turned Human again. As soon as all three kids were downstairs they sat at the Dinner table and their Dad started.

"You all saw that little manifesto yesterday. I think that those so-called Purifiers were the ones that stole the designs to the Halfa Suit. They're dangerous, no one ever heard of them before yesterday, which means they're smart, and that they have their hands on some powerful technology. Their manifesto appeared in every TV screen in America. The Press are still outside, so when you leave for school today you'll have to fly invisibly." "How long is this going to be?" Anna asked. "I don't know sweetheart, but until we know, the Police will be at your schools to protect you. Also, you will all wear these," their Dad said then took some ear mics out of his pocket and let them all have one. "If you're attacked, call us, don't wait; don't try to take them on yourselves. These guys may have the Halfa Suit; if they do then they may be too much for you to handle by yourselves."

Michael put his ear mic in and waited while Anna and Gabriel got ready and his parents made breakfast. After breakfast and washing his teeth, Michael went Ghost and flew down to his living room to see his parents and siblings already in their Ghost Forms. Their family all bowed their heads and Marie prayed, "O Lord, you know for how long we have served you and tried to do your will. Now, the forces of evil are rising against us, more determined than ever to do us harm. Protect us now as we go about our lives and give us the strength to continue to do your will, and oppose our opponents. In Christ's name we pray, amen." With that said they all turned invisible and flew to their schools and jobs.

Michael, Gabriel, and Anna all flew to her school first, where they spotted several SWAT vans outside. "Oh man!" Gabriel exclaimed as they flew down to one. A middle aged black man of medium height with graying hair saw them and said into his Com-Link, "The Princess is in the Castle." "Roger that Captain, escort the Princess to the front of the school, Team One will meet you there," a voice said from the Com-Link. The Captain smiled and said, "Anna, I'm going to take you where you need to go." Anna turned Human and went with him. Michael and Gabriel then flew to their school and saw more SWAT vans outside it. "Oh boy," Gabriel said as they flew down to one and turned Human. A tall young white woman with blue eyes and black hair saw them and said into her Com-Link, "Princes are in the Castle." "Escort the Princes through the Castle for Teams Two and Three to take care of them," a voice on the other end of the Com-Link said." The Female Captain looked at Michael and Gabriel and said, "Come on."

They followed her to the front of their school, with the Female Captain keeping her assault rifle at the ready. They got to the front and saw two teams of five SWAT officers each there and a tall aging man of Asian descent there as well who looked to be in charge. "I'm Major Zhang, I'll be in charge of this operation," the old Asian man introduced himself as he shook Michael and Gabriel's hands. "What's going to happen?" Michael asked. "First things first, which one of you is Michael, and which is Gabriel?" Major Zhang asked. "I'm Michael, he's Gabriel," Michael said, pointing to himself then his brother. "Alright, Michael, Team Two is going to escort you through the school until further notice, the same with Team Three for you, Gabriel. Your designations are Prince One and Prince Two, Michael is Prince One, Gabriel, you're Prince Two. There are independent officers monitoring the halls of the school. I know that you're superheroes; if danger arises the Teams will focus on getting you to safety, while the officers in the halls evacuate the school. Any questions?" Major Zhang said. Michael and Gabriel shook their heads and were escorted to their classes.

All the students were silent as they saw the twin brothers and their escorts. All of them looked scared at the sight of SWAT officers patrolling their halls. Michael and Gabriel said nothing to their friends until Lunch when a fed up Michael finally asked, "Can you guys, I don't know, give us some space, please?" One of the officers tapped into his Com-Link and asked Major Zhang. After nodding his head and saying some more things he told Michael and Gabriel, "Point out your tables." Michael saw Lisa and Alice sitting at a table and he chose to sit with them while Gabriel saw some of his friends and sat at that table. Michael's escort surrounded the table, but gave him enough space to sit down. "Michael, are you okay?" Alice asked.

"Better now that we can talk," Michael told her. "All this over those Purifier guys," Alice shook her head at that as she took a sip of her drink. "Mom and Dad wouldn't have asked for this if it wasn't warranted. Look, Dad thinks that the Purifiers were the ones that bombed his Lab and stole the designs for the Halfa Suit. Lisa made an overly loud gulp at that, then Michael asked, "Where's Cole?" "His parents kept him home because of that Purifier transmission. They don't want to take the risk," Lisa told him. "Why didn't he text me?" Michael asked. "He only told me last night before they took his phone. They're paranoid over those guys," Lisa told him. Michael nodded at that then said, "Can you get me another drink, Lisa?" Lisa nodded then got a little smile as she walked away.

Michael turned to Alice and said, "Alice." She turned to him and looked him in the eyes. _God she's beautiful_, Michael thought as he cleared his throat. _Don't chicken out Fenton! _"Alice, I've been thinking about things… and I'd like it if we could see each other more," Michael said. Alice got a knowing smile on her face and said, "You mean like a few dates?" "Y-yeah, exactly. I wish we could go tonight, but…well…" Michael waved his hand around towards his escort. "I'll call you tonight," Alice said as she took his hand in hers, "Everything will be alright Mikey, I know it."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Michael woke up on Tuesday feeling fantastic in spite of his circumstances. His parents had him and his siblings stay at their house after school, which was pretty paranoid in his opinion, but at least Cole got his phone back. After Michael told his best friend about what was going on, he had called Alice and holo-chatted with her through the night. It was almost too perfect when he said, 'I love you', to her before going to sleep that night. After Michael did his exercises and got dressed, Michael texted Cole, 'Are you going to be at school today?' After a minute Cole texted back, 'No, sorry.' Michael sighed and texted, 'Your parents are paranoid.' 'Can you blame them?' Cole responded. Michael thought about it and texted back, 'No, unfortunately.' 'That's life. So, how did your chat with Alice go?' Cole texted. 'It was great, we made plans for a real date once all this blows over,' Michael told his friend, 'I'll talk to you later, it's breakfast time.' 'I'll see you when I can. Good luck with Alice,' Cole responded.

Michael and his family had breakfast as usual and put their ear mics on and flew to school. On their way there Michael and Gabriel spotted a two headed green moose ghost stomping over cars and scaring people along the highway. "You want this one?" Michael asked Gabriel. "I got it," Gabriel said and flew down. Michael stayed there in case anything happened. Gabriel flew down in front of the moose ghost and twirled his cape behind him. "Toro! Toro!" Gabriel cockily yelled. The moose ghost charged at him, only for Gabriel to fly up at the last second. "Ole!" The moose ghost snorted and flew up after him. Gabriel nonchalantly did his bullfighter routine again, with similar results. "Hurry up Gabe, we'll be late for school!" Michael yelled.

"Alright," Gabriel said, then kicked the moose's tail then flew back from it. "Toro! Come on!" Gabriel said once more. The moose ghost charged at him and Gabriel yelled, "PSYCH!" as he blasted an ice ray from his hands, freezing the ghost solid. Gabriel reached for his Thermos when all of a sudden a missile streaked past him and blew the frozen moose to goop! "What the Hell!?" Gabriel yelled, then Michael heard another missile coming from behind him. Michael raised an ecto-shield just in time as a missile hit it and knocked him back from the resulting explosion. "Where are they!?" Gabriel yelled as he and his brother got back to back. Michael immediately got on his ear mic and said, "MOM, DAD WE'RE UNDER ATTACK OVER HIGHWAY 7!" "We're coming!" Marie immediately said. "Gabriel! Shields!" Michael yelled.

The twin brothers immediately surrounded themselves in a sphere of ectoplasmic energy in time to block ten laser blasts. "Shit! The Purifiers really did steal the Halfa Suit!" Gabriel yelled. "How many do you think there are?" Michael asked. "I don't know, give me a second," Gabriel said and made four copies that flew out of their ecto-shield in different directions. The assault on them ended as the lasers went for Gabriel's copies. All of the copies were blasted away before they were 10 ft away. "Did you see that? The lasers came from two directions. That means two attackers," Michael said. "Alright, so how do we find them?" Gabriel asked. "Ummm… lightning blasts," Michael said and lowered the shield and immediately blasted lightning from his fingertips in an arc in front of him while Gabriel did the same.

"Where'd they go?" Gabriel asked then was struck from a laser from above at the same time as Michael was hit from below. "AKH!" Michael exclaimed _I've never been hit that hard before! _Gabriel panicked and spun in a circle, blasting ghost rays all around. Michael barely dodged them and said, "Gabe stop before you hit a pedestrian!" Gabriel stopped just as one random ghost ray hit something invisible. A black mechanical suit with thrusters on the feet and lasers on the arms and what looked like a rocket launcher on the back appeared. "That's one of them!" Gabriel yelled as he blasted the suit with an electrical attack. The suit dodged the lighting and responded with an ice ray from one of the arm lasers. Michael blocked the blast and got hit from behind.

Just then a white blur appeared and smashed into the visible attacker. "It's Mom!" Gabriel yelled in relief. Their Mom's skin was green and hair black with red eyes and wearing a white jumpsuit and cape with black belt, boots, and gloves; she was in her Powered Up Ghost Form. Marie immediately sent electricity into the suit, shorting it out. She then yelled, "Get down boys!" Michael and Gabriel flew down and watched as their Mother's hands lit up with electricity and she clapped her hands, making and electromagnetic pulse rip through the air for a mile around her. No other suit appeared and Marie floated in the air, looking around for a minute before saying, "There's no one else. Boys, go back home now! Your Dad's picking up Anna from school right now." "But Mom, you won!" Gabriel said. "This is just one battle; we don't know how many more are out there. I need to take this one," Marie indicated the captured attacker, "to the Police Station for interrogation." She then floated down with her prisoner and said, "Be careful." With that, they all flew off.

Michael and Gabriel flew back home as fast as they could and saw their house surrounded with copies of their Father in his regular Ghost Form. "You're alright," Jerry exhaustedly said. "Dad, what happened?" Michael asked. "Right after you called your sister was attacked at her school. I was lucky that a wall was being repainted; Anna managed to get some on her attacker by the time I arrived. The Police have him now." Michael and Gabriel gulped as they saw SWAT vans arrive at their house and force the Press away. "This is bad," Michael said. "Go inside, and stay inside," Jerry ordered his sons, and they both went inside to see their sister was in the living room, holding her legs tightly. "W-what's going to happen n-now?" Anna asked her older brothers, and all they could do was turning back to their Human forms and give her a group hug.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Michael sat in his room after helping his sister calm down. A million questions were going through his head, all of them related to the Purifiers. He must have lost track of time because when he got a text saying, 'Why aren't you in school?' It was Alice. 'Gabriel and I were attacked on our way to school by the Purifiers. Mom and Dad told us to stay home.' Michael went to his window at all the police surrounding his home. 'It's like we're under siege, look,' he texted then took a picture of the police outside and sent it to Alice. Alice responded, 'Michael, I don't know what to say. Is there any way I can help?' Michael thought about it, he wanted to see her in person, her and Cole and Lisa, but he knew that he probably wouldn't be able to. 'Pray?' he texted.

'I will. Michael, be careful,' Alice texted and signaled that their conversation was over. Michael sighed then sat on his bed and tried to meditate. His Uncle Jack and Dad had taught him how to, both of them said that it always helped keep them calm when they needed to think clearly. He laid back and closed his eyes then slowed down his breathing and cleared his mind of all thoughts except for the Purifiers. _Why do they hate us? How many are there? How can they afford their technology? Where is it coming from? _He finally gave up when he realized that it wouldn't work because he didn't have enough information to go on. He checked the time on his phone to see that school was over now and went to text Cole when he got a text from Alice.

It was a picture of her tied up with a gag in her mouth. "No," Michael whispered as he read the message. 'Come alone to 56 Hagar Road, Room #75, 4th floor.' Michael's heart skipped several beats before he realized, _I can't do what they say. _He couldn't just listen to them, but he doubted he could get his family involved either; they might have some kind of ghost detecting equipment them if his Dad's suspicions were right. He then knew what to do and left his phone on his bed after turning off the pass code. _I hope this works, _he thought as he went ghost and flew to 56 Hagar Road. As soon as he reached it he saw it was a large rundown hotel that had yet to be torn down or renewed.

He turned invisible and went inside the front door. As soon as he was in a woman wearing the Purifiers uniform and goggles and wielding an ecto-rifle pointed her weapon at him. "Stop right there Freak!" she ordered. Michael looked at her and said, "I think you mean: FREEZE!" and froze her from the neck down with an ice ray. He quickly flew over and took off her goggles and an ear-mic he saw she was wearing. "You won't get away with this!" she yelled. Michael looked at the goggles and put them on, activating them. He soon saw three robotic suits phase through the ceiling above. "GET HIM!" one of the suits said.

Michael flew around dodging their laser blasts and answering with lightning attacks. He missed two of the people in suits but managed to hit the third, making it fall to the ground with a loud metallic CLANG! "JAMES!" one of the other attackers yelled and flew right at Michael, blasting a laser continuously at him. Michael responded with his own ghost ray and they soon found themselves in a one on one beam struggle. "Give up now! I'm too strong for you!" Michael yelled. "Not on your life Freak!" the attacker yelled at him and his beam pushed Michael's back. "I warned you!" Michael responded then poured more power into his beam, forcing his opponent back. "HOW!" the person in the Halfa Suit yelled. "My brother and I are unique; we are ¼ ghosts; like our parents. Our parents are the children of the Original True Half-Ghosts, Vlad Plasmius and Danny Phantom. ¼ ghosts have more power than half ghosts, only for our parents it was concentrated into a few of the powers our grandfather's had, but unlike them we have all the powers, and all the power. Unlike our cousins, we've always been this powerful!" Michael emphasized his point by pushing his opponent further back.

"The rest of our family's power grew overtime, but Gabriel and I have always had TO HOLD BACK!" Michael poured more energy in and blasted his opponent full on, stripping pieces off his suit as he hit the wall behind him, knocking him out. "WHERE ARE YOU!" Michael yelled, only to see the last attacker phase down holding Alice in one arm with his other arm's cannons pointed at her. "Give up Freak! Or your girlfriend gets it!" the final Purifier there ordered. "Why do you hate us!" Michael yelled. "SHUT UP! EVERYONE HATES YOU FREAKS! I was there at Plasmius's final rampage. Him and Phantom BOTH wrecked up everything! My whole family is dead because of you superpowered freaks! You're all abominations that don't deserve to live!"

"SHE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT!" Michael yelled back. "WE WEREN'T EVEN BORN BACK THEN! MY PARENTS WERE STILL IN COLLEGE FOR GOD'S SAKE!" "LIKE I CARE!" the man yelled, "YOU HAVE HIS BLOOD! YOU'RE EVIL JUST LIKE HIM!" Michael's rage finally broke. His eyes glowed a darker shade of red as he said, his voice cool as ice, "You attack my brother and I after we stopped a rampaging ghost. You attack us from out of nowhere, ignoring the danger to innocent people. You attack my little sister at her Middle School. You kidnap my girlfriend, and you say I'm the evil one!? FUCK YOU!" Michael blasted an ice ray that was pure white at the man's arm. The arm turned white as snow then shattered to pieces. The man screamed and dropped Alice, and Michael quickly caught her then blasted a ghost ray at his wounded foe's head, knocking him out and ruining his helmet. Just then he heard Police Sirens and his Ghost Sense went off as his parents appeared.

"MICHAEL!" they both yelled then looked around. "Are you alright?" his Dad asked. "I'm fine, we're both fine," Michael told his parents, April nodded emphatically. Michael's parents made two dozen copies each and flew around the hotel to look for more Purifiers. After five minutes one copy came down with a laptop and handed it to the real Jerry Phantom, and both he and Marie absorbed their copies. "We're coming with you to take Alice home," Marie told Michael, and the four of them flew to Alice's house. Alice was quiet as Michael carried her home, and he was worried.

As soon as they got there Alice's parents burst out of their front door. Alice's Dad was a large Hispanic man with scars on his face from an old career in MMA while her Mom was more average height, you could tell which one she took after more. "Alice!" her Dad said as he took her from Michael and wrapped her in a hug. "I'm alright Papi, Michael saved me," Alice told him. "God bless you Michael," Mrs. Martinez said as she gratefully hugged her daughter's rescuer. "I-I was just doing the right thing," Michael managed to say. "Would you lie to come inside, mi casa es tu casa, if there is anything we can do, just name it," Mr. Martinez said. Michael looked at Alice, and she nodded while her Mom went back inside to get her wheelchair.

When Mrs. Martinez came back out and Mr. Martinez put Alice in her wheelchair, Michael swallowed and took a breath. The truth was that Mr. Martinez was intimidating in the way only a large man could be. He was also the one that taught Alice. Michael looked into his eyes and asked, "Mr. and Mrs. Martinez, I'd like your permission to date Alice." Everyone was quiet for a minute before Mrs. Martinez said, "If that's wha-" "Yes!" Alice interrupted. "That settles it. We'll discuss when and where later. For now, I think its time we went home," Jerry said. Michael said, "I'll see you later Alice." "Count on it," Alice told him, and Michael flew back home with his parents.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Michael looked at himself in the mirror. His hair was combed back and he was wearing his good suit. He took a breath to calm down and went downstairs. It had been three weeks since the attack from the Purifiers. Since then there had been no further news from them. He and Alice had managed to convince their respective parents that it would be safe for them to go out on an official date now. He and she had seen each other more casually before now when they had the chance, but this would be the first actual scheduled date for them. They had planned it out, first they would go to a fancy Italian restaurant called Il Cinghiale d'Oro and after dinner they'd go to see a holo-movie, then he would take her home.

Michael came down to see Alice and Gabriel playing a game against each other on their phones and his parents already in their car. They drove him to Alice's house where she was waiting in her Dad's car. Michael got out of his Dad's car and Jerry told him, "Don't stay out later than midnight." "I won't," Michael told him as he went into Mr. Martinez's car, sitting next to Alice. She was in a strapless dress that was about the same length as her thighs and had her hair in four braids. "You look great," Alice said. "You look… amazing," Michael said. Mr. Martinez drove them to Il Cinghiale d'Oro and Michael picked Alice up while her Dad got her wheelchair set up. "So, you decide what movie we're going to?" Alice asked. "I thought you were going to decide that," Michael told her.

"Oh Lord, you already sound like a married couple," Mr. Martinez laughed as Michael put Alice in her chair. Michael blushed at that and Alice quieted down a little. Mr. Martinez gave Alice a hug and said, "I'll see you later, Combate Poco." "See you later Papi," Alice told him and Michael pushed her into the restaurant. He walked up to the Hostess and said, "I have a reservation for Fenton, party of two." "Right this way Mr. Fenton," the Hostess told them and led them to a table next to a large painting showing two medieval era mercenaries walking together. An average height black man whose hair was in a short ponytail, "Good evening, I'm Chris, I'll be your server tonight," the server greeted. "Would you like to start with drinks?" Chris asked.

Their dinner that night started with a raspberry-peach tea for Alice while Michael had a regular ginger ale. Appetizer was Italian Rice Croquettes, followed by Shrimp Fra Diavolo. After the entrée was mostly devoured Alice asked, "I'm thinking we should see that one action flick, _Bruise Cruise_, I heard it's hilarious." Michael took a sip of his drink and said, "That doesn't sound very romantic." "Eh, who cares about romance, this is for fun," Alice told him. Michael laughed at that and ordered two slices of tiramisu layer cake for dessert. After finishing dessert Michael helped Alice out of the restaurant and they walked to the Multi-Holo Theater.

They got there and ordered their tickets, and Alice headed for the restroom. While Michael waited outside the restrooms, an old man walked up to him and said, "How dare you so flagrantly stand there." "What did I do?" Michael asked. "Don't play dumb, I know what you Satanists do, skulking around waiting for a victim!" the old man said. Michael had forgotten he was wearing his St. Peter's Cross necklace, until now. He sighed and said, "Look, I'm not a Satanist, alright? This is a Catholic symbol, of the Pope." "You're lying," the old man angrily huffed, "I'll have you kicked out!" The old man walked off and Michael face palmed, _you'd think they'd know by now_. Alice came out of the restroom and said, "You alright?" Michael smiled and said, "Never better, lets go."

Two hours later the two of them were laughing down the street about all the outrageous stunts in the movie. "Did you see the look on that guys face when his boss went down?" Michael said. "Oh yeah, it just screamed, 'well, there goes my paycheck'," Alice said, "Talk about bad acting." "And what was with that line, who the heck says, 'Captain this!'? Were they even trying when they wrote that?" Alice took a second then said, "What do you think was going through the guys head when he said that? 'I'm the next Arnold Schwarzenegger, I don't need to think.'" "Probably," Michael agreed, then checked the time on his phone.

"We got thirty minutes until you need to go home," Michael told her. Alice stopped her wheelchair and looked up at the sky, "Mikey, can you…take me up there." Michael looked up and said, "Why?" Alice told him, "I've always wanted to be up there in the sky, and I got to do that when I was kidnapped and you rescued me. I want to go into the Air Force, be a pilot one day maybe; see what it's like from up there." Michael nodded and went Ghost, then made a copy as he lifted Alice out of her chair. "Alright, hold on," Michael told her as he flew up, his copy carrying her wheelchair.

Michael went slowly, wanting to give Alice's body time to adjust to the thinner air. Alice looked down and said, "Wow." The city glowed beneath them, and other cities could be seen from miles around, looking like glowing yellow orbs from that height. Michael flew her over near a cloud and Alice reached out her hand and touched it. "It's so different, like running my hand through a cold bath," she said. They flew down a little bit more before Michael headed back to her house. Right as it was in sight Michael felt Alice's lips on his mouth and his heart stopped. She stopped kissing him and whispered in his ear, "Thank you Michael, for everything." Michael put her back in her wheelchair and gave her a kiss before saying, "I'm just glad you're in my life," and flew back home.

**Reviews appreciated. I'd like to thank PrennCooder for her review. I decided on this ending because I realized I didn't have much romance in this story. It's not too mushy I hope, I was aiming for a more 'realistic' romance, if that even exists.**


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